Mallory Weggemann is a record-setting, two-time Paralympic swimmer for Team USA. She has set fifteen world records and thirty-four American records, and is also the recipient of an ESPY Award, a 15-time World Champion, and a Paralympic gold and bronze medalist. Weggemann has also served as a commentator on NBC for the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games, the first female reporter in a wheelchair ever to serve in that capacity. Weggemann has established herself as a leader outside of the pool, as well; she is an inclusion advocate serving on the Advisory Board of Disability for Delta Air Lines as well as a cofounder and co-CEO of TFA Group, a social impact agency and production studio. A highly sought-after motivational speaker, Weggemann has presented at numerous Fortune 500 companies, including Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Comcast, PepsiCo, Northwestern Mutual, Aetna, Accenture, and Delta Air Lines.
In her upcoming book, LIMITLESS: THE POWER OF HOPE AND RESILIENCE TO OVERCOME CIRCUMSTANCE LIMITLESS (3/2/21), Mallory shares her remarkable story and the lessons she learned by pushing past every obstacle, expectation, and limitation that stood in her way, and she helps readers to discover how, they, too, can choose to rewrite their own stories to overcome the challenges they face.
Besides being a gold medalist, Mallory Weggemann is also an ESPN ESPY Award winner, TV Sports Commentator, and founder of social impact agency, TFA Group. She knows firsthand that the words and images we use, and how we use them, impacts how society perceives everything.
a
Context to the void that currently exists:
Whereas nearly 20% of the US population is disabled, fewer than 2% of characters on TV are disabled. This disparity in representation for the disabled community is apparent across the entertainment industry. In 2020, Mallory was a TV commentator at the Golden Globes and didn’t see one person who had a disability the entire day — one of the largest gatherings of the biggest names in Hollywood. In fact, she had to be lifted three steps when she reached the end of the carpet because no one had thought to create an accessible path for a wheelchair.
a
A few misconceptions & truths about Mallory’s identity are:
On 1/27/21, Twitter labeled her image in a wheelchair as ‘sensitive content’. TRUTH: her image is one of empowerment – one that happens to be of a woman living with a disability.
Her image is ‘imperfect’ and she is ‘confined’ to a wheelchair. TRUTH: her image shows strength & the wheels beneath her don’t confine or limit her; they give her the freedom to not only chase her dreams, but live them.
Her body is broken. TRUTH: Her body has taken her to the top of the Paralympic podium, it is the body that has broken countless world records throughout her career and above all, it has proven time and time again the power it holds to adapt & become stronger with each perceived imperfection.
Being scared is limiting. TRUTH: Being scared allows Mallory to gain confidence & she advises: “Scare yourself – put yourself out there in a way that “success” isn’t a guaranteed outcome. We don’t grow by playing it safe, taking the easy wins or just going through the motions – we grow when our minds want to say, “I can’t” but instead say, “why not?”
TRUTH: Our society can do better – our next generation deserves better. “We all deserve to be seen – not covered up by a disclaimer. And most of all, we deserve to know that we all belong in this society and that starts with representation,” shares Mallory.
In 2008, when Mallory was paralyzed at the age of 18, she yearned to see representation. When she looked at the world around her, she felt isolated by her differences. It was then that Mallory learned it is hard to become what you don’t see. For the past 13 years she has made a conscious decision to do her part to fill that void, so our next generation never has to ask, “what about me?”
a
To learn more about Meghan’s incredible story and pre-order her book, please visit this website.
